


Of Second Chances And Happy Accidents

by Huntress79



Series: Allison Caffrey Chronicles [3]
Category: White Collar
Genre: Community: WCPairings, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-03
Updated: 2016-06-03
Packaged: 2018-07-12 01:52:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7079821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Huntress79/pseuds/Huntress79
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Neal knows that love can be a many splendored thing. But he also knows that this, the love they share, with all the wonderful implications for the future, has to be the best he has ever encountered.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Wonders Of Life

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sheenianni](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sheenianni/gifts).



> Set post-series. Written for Round 4 of wcpairings, for sheenianni. One of her prompts was “Neal/Sara, Neal has June meet their first kid. Sara and June share tips and exchange stories about the joys and challenges of living with retired con men. Bonus points for background Mozzie.” I decided to include some more characters, but my muse kidnapped the original idea and turned it into this. Companion to my story “All In,” this time telling the story from Neal’s POV. Betaed by the awesome sherylyn. Hope you like it, sheeni! The image below is "The Dream" by Pablo Picasso and is mentioned in the story.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Chapter 1 – The Wonders Of Life **

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[ ](http://i.imgur.com/bztsOok.jpg)  


Sitting against the headboard of their bed, Neal Caffrey let his gaze and mind wander. It was the middle of the night, but with all the positive and, at least to him, unexpected events happening recently, his brilliant mind had some trouble catching up.

First of all, Neal all but literally came back from the dead. Exactly two days after the first (and last) anniversary of his “demise,” he’d contacted Mozzie. And even though the other man didn’t hold back with his grudge and anger about Neal’s deception, he agreed to pass a message to Peter and Elizabeth.

In the days following this “first contact,” Neal had several long phone conversations, not only with Mozzie, but also with Peter and Elizabeth. And every time the call was ended, Neal realized that, somewhere along the way, he had lost most of one of his more notorious traits back in his heyday as a con man – the ability to read people, even across the miles. Try as he might, he couldn’t tell anymore what Peter, El or Mozzie really were feeling about his comeback in their lives or how much of their conversations were an act on their account.

But now, the only thing he felt about these conversations caused him to chuckle. Ever since he chose to be a con man, Mozzie introduced him to what the shorter man called “Con Man 101.” And part of said training was that, no matter what was happening or how bad a situation would turn out, they should never, ever apologize for anything. Well, let’s just say that Neal broke “protocol” a lot in all these phone calls.

Neal came back to the present, and the best and most surprising thing that had happened to him recently, which was currently fast asleep next to him. Sara Ellis was back in his life – and more importantly, back in his heart.

They met about two months before Neal touched base with New York again, so to speak. And once again, in some kind of déjà-vu, a famous, invaluable painting was their common item of interest. Only this time, it was a painting by Pablo Picasso, and Neal wasn’t about to steal it. Instead, he was, together with the whole security staff at the Louvre, to provide the most effective protection for it. And Sara? She was there since the owner, a casino magnate from Las Vegas, had insurance with Sterling Bosch.

The minute they both entered the room and locked their gazes, the world stood still, for both of them. Neal still couldn’t tell how they managed to keep up their professional acts, but somehow, they did, not giving away anything that would let the others in the room think that they had some kind of history together.

“Papa?”

 

_TBC_


	2. Back In The New York Groove

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neal, Sara and Allison arrive in New York; Ally meets her "grandmother".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Chapter 2 – Back In The New York Groove **

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_“Papa?“_

The soft voice of a little child broke the silence of the night, as well as his current train of thought. Neal didn’t have to turn towards the doorway to know that the biggest surprise life had in store for him so far was standing there.

At the tender age of almost three, Allison (Caffrey-) Ellis was a walking talking sunshine – and, at least to Neal, the perfect blend of Sara and him. The sweet little girl had almost all of his physical features – mesmerizing blue eyes, a lean frame, and on the character side both his stubbornness (though Neal liked to say that Sara had it almost as bad as he did) and an almost unhealthy fancy for running around all day.

Besides the unruly mop of red-blond hair on her head, Allison had most of her character features from her mother – the aforementioned stubbornness and impressive determination the two most prominent ones.

“What’s up, pumpkin?” Neal asked while slipping out of the bed without waking Sara up. “Can’t sleep, huh?” he stage-whispered across the room.

Instead of a verbal answer, Allison opted for shaking her head no, which in turn caused her locks to bounce up and down.

With one glance back at Sara, making sure that she still was fast asleep, Neal picked up his daughter and took her back to her own room across the hall, his mind already working on a new, exciting bedtime story (or two or three, Allison simply loved his voice).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few weeks later, their little ragtag family was finally ready to make their first big trip. As it turned out, Neal first had to work up the nerve to do the trip, which amused Sara to no end. More than once in these weeks, Neal heard her saying that the “old” Neal Caffrey would never, ever have had to do that. And somehow, Sara was right about it, once again.

The trip was to take them all to New York, which, in turn, meant that Neal finally had to face Peter, Elizabeth, Mozzie, and everyone else who was affected somehow by what he once believed to be his greatest con.

But reality has a talent for sobering you up rather quickly, leaving you strung up by your own actions. No matter how much happiness he would encounter in the future, Neal would always remember the deep void called “loneliness” that had settled in his chest once he realized what he had really done to the group of people back in New York he liked to call his family. This wasn’t a con anymore; this was just a cruel, hurtful act, born in a moment where his mind apparently was short-circuited. Besides that, Paris held next to no appeal to someone who was dancing on the edge of depression.

It wasn’t that Neal was only afraid of being with them in the same room at some point. No, what kept him up at night was the prospect of explaining himself to the people who saw something in him that he couldn’t see for himself, something that was a far cry from the con man he used to be. A better man, with the chance of having a better future than running away from every lawman in the world.

Sure enough, Neal had this all right now, but a little, treacherous part of his heart (or his soul, he wasn’t really sure which was what) kept nagging him that he was on borrowed time, that something, someone was just waiting for the right moment to snatch it all away from him.

So when the day finally came and they boarded the plane to New York, Neal was a mess. But definitely not the hot, charming, slightly dangerous mess Sara remembered from their first few meetings all those years ago. No, this time he was wearing his nerves on the outside, reacting to everything that happened around them in a big way. If it were the two of them alone, Sara would have suggested some alcohol, but neither of them wanted to be a bad example for Allison, and so any form of alcohol was only consumed when they either were out or their little princess was already asleep.

Several long hours later (or at least it seemed so to Neal), the plane touched back on the ground in the town he’d considered his home for more than a decade. Now, despite having a home in London with Sara and Allison, Neal felt a bit lost in the world. And Sara had a hunch that it wasn’t actually about a place, but more with a certain group of people in a certain place.

As pretty much everywhere Sara or Neal went with Allison, the sweet little girl captured the hearts of everyone, and both parents couldn’t help but realize with a smile that this was definitely a heritage from her father’s side. One of the customs officers even gave her a cherry-flavored lollipop and was quite surprised when Allison thanked him wholeheartedly.

After making stops at both the coffee shop and the ladies’ restroom, the family of three finally exited the airport building – only to be met with the sight of June’s dark limousine, and Oscar, her driver, standing next to the driver’s door with a smile.

“Mr. Neal! When June told me about it, I couldn’t believe it at first, but now that you’re standing here in front of me…”

The older man stopped mid-sentence, the emotions threatening to overwhelm him. Ever since June brought the young man home back in the day, Oscar had considered Neal his second son, and it had broken his heart when they heard the news of his “death.”

Lost for words for once, Neal only transferred Allison over to Sara, stepped forward and hugged the man – a gesture that was more than reciprocated by Oscar.

At long last, Neal pulled back, locking his gaze with Oscar, both men wearing a smile.

“I take it that June told you everything,” Neal asked, though he made it sound more like a statement than anything else.

“Yes, she did, but only a few days ago, when it was sure you would come for a visit.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time they finally pulled up to June’s mansion on Riverside Drive, Sara couldn’t exactly tell who was more fascinated by the view out of the car’s window – Neal or Allison. Probably dead even, since Neal was as glued to the glass pane as their little daughter, both of them taking in every sight they could spot during the drive.

“Neal! We’re here!”

In the end, it took both Oscar and Sara to get the other two passengers out of the car. Neal handed Allison to Sara first before following his two ladies, while Oscar and his son took care of their luggage.

“Welcome home, Neal.”

On top of the few stairs leading to the front door, June was standing, as graceful as ever. To Neal’s delight, Bugsy was still tucked under her arm. He exchanged a quick hug with the woman he considered his surrogate mother before June ushered them all in, stating that her staff had prepared small treats to welcome him home. And boy, did that feel good!

Once inside, they spread out in the living room, where Neal could still see himself, sharing a dance with June after Ford was gone once again from her life. And even after all these years, Neal was angry at the older con man for hurting her. But then again, didn’t he do the same when he faked his death? Even though she was the only one to know the details, it still had to hurt.

“Neal, dear, she’s a sweetie.”

June’s soft voice, paired with an amused expression, brought Neal back to reality. And only then did he notice that Sara had, apparently, introduced Allison to her “grandmother,” if the fact that his little sunshine was currently sitting on June’s lap was anything to count for.

“Of course she is,” Neal answered, which in turn caused both Sara and June to raise an eyebrow. “She’s my daughter, after all, and that means she’s got all my charming talents in her blood,” he added with a wink to Sara.

“Good thing that some things never change at all,” June returned, causing all the adults to chuckle and Neal to shrug in an innocent way.

 

_TBC_


	3. Reunions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After more than a year, Neal is reunited with the Burkes - and he finally gets the chance to explain himself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Chapter 3 – Reunions **

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Even though it wasn’t exactly made for a family of three, Neal, Sara and Allison stayed in his old apartment. In some kind of anticipation, June and her staff had prepared and accommodated the main room for them, and when they saw their little daughter, Oscar’s son brought a mobile child’s bed over from his own apartment.

When Sara woke up the next morning, Neal’s side of the bed was empty. Back in the day, when they were slowly getting used to living together, Sara would have been alarmed, but nowadays he either was in the kitchen, making breakfast, or with Allison. And here in New York, Sara had a hunch where he might be this morning.

Grabbing her robe, she stepped out on the rooftop terrace, and true to her hunch, she found Neal standing at the balustrade, looking out at the awakening city.

“How does it feel? Being back, and being here of all places?” Sara asked while approaching him.

“To be honest – it feels great,” Neal answered with one of his trademark megawatt smiles, though they were more sincere these days. “And the more I think about, the crazier this whole ʻfaking your own deathʼ thing appears to me,” he added, the smile gone from his face.

“So I don’t have to worry about you pulling the same stunt on Ally and me, then?”

“No,” Neal answered while pulling her close to him, “never.” He turned Sara around and locked his gaze with hers. “You and Allison are my life, and I wouldn’t trade it for all the gold, all the precious things that are out there,” he pointed out to the cityscape, “not even for a second. I never thought I really would have a chance on having a family, or wasn’t even sure I really wanted one, but now that I have it, I can’t and won’t live without it.”

Sara felt her heart overflowing. Sure, Neal always had a wonderful way with words, but she couldn’t really remember if he ever had managed to put so much of his heart, of his true emotions into them before. Anyway, there was only one possible way for her to answer his little speech, and so she pulled slightly on the lapels of his robe and closed the distance from her lips to his.

“I was going to say ʻGood Morning,ʼ but it is apparent that you already have one.”

Hearing the voice from the doorway, Neal spun around, his face breaking into another smile.

“Mozzie!”

Before either Mozzie or Sara could react, Neal had crossed the distance and pulled the shorter man into a bear hug.

“If you don’t mind, I would like to breathe in a normal way, mon frêre,” Mozzie mumbled into Neal’s robe.

“Oh, of course. Sorry, Moz, and not just for almost smothering you,” Neal said while releasing the other man.

Only then did Mozzie really notice Sara, but before he could comment on her being here, a little force barreled into Neal’s legs, who immediately bent down and picked up Allison.

“Good morning, princess. Did you sleep well?”

“Yep,” she said with a bounce of her head. “Morning, Mom! Morning, Dad!”

“Dad?” Mozzie echoed, his face showing surprise about this sudden turn of events.

“Yes, ʻdad,ʼ” Neal answered. “Mozzie, may I introduce to our daughter Allison? Ally, sweetheart, this is your Uncle Mozzie. He’s kind of my brother, and we’ve known each other for quite a long time.”

Despite her usual curiosity, Allison was a bit shy when it came to meeting new folks. And so, she all but tried to hide herself in her father’s arms.

“Don’t be shy, sweetie,” Neal cooed. “I know for certain that he’s extraordinary good with children.”

Neal’s words seemed to have the desired effect on the little girl, as she tentatively extended a hand towards the short, strange man with the round glasses.

Sara watched the whole exchange from her spot in the middle of the terrace, and she couldn’t help but see a move across the pond in their near future. As wonderful as London was for them to start their relationship anew, as a family, they both missed being in New York, being with their friends.

Neal and Mozzie were still chatting when June, followed by her cook, came onto the terrace.

“Oh, I see you already met the next generation of Caffrey, Mozzie.”

“Yes, I did, June, and there’s no denying who her parents are,” Mozzie answered while looking from Neal to Sara and to Allison.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After breakfast, Mozzie suggested that they all should “explore” the city. Neal had to chuckle at his friend’s choice of words. Both he and Sara still knew the city, after all. But he didn’t say anything, only told the bespectacled man to “lead the way.” Around noon, according to Mozzie, they had to be at a certain place in Brooklyn – Casa Burke.

On their track through Manhattan, the small group consisting of Neal, Sara, June, Allison, Bugsy and Mozzie stopped at almost every famous sight, and they took turns in telling Allison about it. Once again, none of the others could determine who was more enamored with the city – Neal (rekindling his love for the Big Apple) or Allison. On the other hand, though, they all were sure that the reactions, expressions and exclamations coming from the two Caffrey generations were absolutely adorable.

A bit too soon for Neal’s liking, their little expedition had reached its first end – a small park in Brooklyn, not even two blocks away from the house he once considered his second home here in New York – Peter and El’s house. But just like with everything else now, Neal couldn’t be sure. What would happen once he met up with them? Would they listen to his explanations? And most of all, would they attempt to forgive him, at least? Neal knew that a wound like that, a metaphorical wound to the heart, to the soul, took time to heal, but was a bit more than a year enough for that?

“Ground control to Major Neal.”

On any other day, Neal would have laughed out loud about this jab at a David Bowie classic, but right now, he was just thankful for June’s choice of words. And wasn’t spacing out kind of a new normal for him these days?

“I think it’s safe to say that your days as a con man are definitely over, mon frêre,” Mozzie added with a chuckle.

“You think so?” Neal challenged, though there was no real fire behind his words. The man he once called “the imp on his shoulder” was, once again, spot on with his observations.

They rounded a corner in the park – and Neal stopped dead in his tracks. Right in front of him, on one of the park benches surrounding the play area, unsuspecting of what was to happen in a few moments, Peter and Elizabeth Burke were sitting, watching the kids.

In one of their phone calls, Mozzie told him a bit about Baby Boy Burke, though he refused to tell the lovely boy’s name over the phone, no matter who he was talking to.

“Neal!” Elizabeth suddenly exclaimed, and after overcoming the initial shock, Neal Caffrey realized who she was really talking to – their little son, who immediately looked up from his spot on the grass near the sandbox. A multitude of emotions began to course through Big Neal’s body. Why on God’s green Earth did they name their offspring after him?

“You okay, Neal?” Sara asked from her spot next to him, and once he registered her words, he also saw the concern written all over her face.

“No, not really. But I think I can handle it,” Neal confessed, adding the last part for her sake.

“Don’t worry, Caffrey, I got your back. June and Mozzie too,” Sara replied while grabbing his hand and giving it a light squeeze.

“I know, Repo, I know.” With that, they followed June and Mozzie’s example and approached the bench the Burkes were still sitting at.

“Oh my God! Peter! Hon!”

Elizabeth was the first to spot them, and before anyone could react, Neal found himself engulfed in a double bear hug from both Burkes – Peter on one side, Elizabeth on the other side of his body. And while he would deny it in any interrogation, Neal felt, thanks to their physical presence, really grounded for the first time in over a year. Yeah, he was home, for real.

Peter was the first to pull back, holding the younger man at arm’s length, taking in his whole appearance.

“Are you for real?”

“Yes, Peter, I am for real.” Neal swallowed, both to get the lump out of his throat and to reign in his raging emotions. “And if New York wants me back, I’m willing to raise my family here, where my friends are.”

“Your family?” Elizabeth echoed, a humorous glint in her eyes. “Neal Caffrey, the world’s best con man and thief, is settling down?”

“Yeah, and I already started with that project.” Neal turned around and beckoned Sara and Allison closer. “I think you both remember Sara Ellis. And this little lady here,” he pointed at Allison, “is our daughter Allison.”

“Oh my God, Neal, Sara, she’s precious!” Elizabeth exclaimed. Peter on the other hand was silent, but somehow, Neal was okay with that. That was Peter’s usual approach, his modus operandi, so to speak, whenever he had to take in a lot of news in one go.

“How old is she?” was, quite expectedly, Peter’s first question.

“Almost three,” Sara answered before Neal even had time to think.

“So…” Peter began, but Elizabeth stopped him.

“Hon, I think it’s better to take that interrogation to someplace else. Like our house, for example.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few minutes later, the whole group was back at Casa Burke, and once again, Neal felt kind of like he was coming home. Even though they had a kid now, the whole ground floor still looked the same as it did when he was here for the last time. And more importantly, it still engulfed him with warmth and familiarity.

Elizabeth and Mozzie went upstairs with Neal Burke, followed by Sara and a slightly fussy Allison. Which left Neal, Peter and June alone, and Neal to realize that, once again, Fate was the best playwright on Earth.

“Okay, Neal, sit down and spill,” Peter ordered while heading over to the kitchen area, probably to make some coffee.

“Where do you want me to start?” Neal asked, a tentative edge to his voice. Even though it was a bit more than a year, there were so many topics to cover.

“Maybe when you decided to stab us all in the heart with your, apparently faked, death.” Peter didn’t shout, which was positive, but the underlying anger in his words wasn’t nice either. But it was something that was familiar and that Neal could deal with. Back in their days as a team, he heard it on a regular basis, mostly after he pulled yet another crazy stunt to help them close a case.

“I… I really thought it was the best way to keep you all safe. The Panthers wouldn’t have stopped at all, once they realized what I had done. There would have no place on this Earth where I could hide from them. And then, every single one of my friends would have been in danger. You, Elizabeth, June, Mozzie, Sara… the list goes on and on. Knowing that Elizabeth was expecting, I simply couldn’t do that to you…”

“But you could let us mourn you while you were strolling along the Seine, could you?” Elizabeth suddenly cut in, her usual soft features a bit hardened, her baby blue eyes shooting daggers of ice at Neal.

“To be honest, at the time I made the plan, it really sounded like the lesser of two evils,” Neal confessed, feeling his eyes well up with tears.

“But something has changed, correct?” Surprisingly enough, Peter’s voice had lost its hard edge and was full of compassion now.

“Yeah,” Neal nodded. “During my stay in Paris, I drifted closer and closer to the edge called depression. At first, I didn’t even notice, but at some point around Christmas, with everyone around you being jolly and in a good mood, I suddenly felt an emptiness in me which threatened to swallow me whole.”

“Did you consult anyone?” Peter asked.

“And tell them what? That I faked my death to save the people I considered my family? That I left them behind because I was a petulant child, a stubborn ass, who was done with playing to the rules of others?” Neal chuckled, but there was no humor to his voice. “Believe me, I wouldn’t be here if I did that. I would have likely gotten myself a one-way ticket to the nearest mental ward than anything else.”

“And where did Sara come back into the picture?” Elizabeth asked, returning to the group with a tray of coffee and cookies, just in time for Sara, Mozzie and the kids to return. After grabbing his cup of tea, Mozzie took both kids out to the backyard. While he was curious himself to hear his friend’s explanation, he could wait. Now, Neal needed to make a new base with the Burkes.

“Sara and I met shortly after Christmas, at the Louvre.”

“Consider my surprise when I walked into one of their conference rooms and this guy here,” Sara added with a slight jab at Neal’s chest, “was sitting at the table.”

“What on Earth were you doing at the Louvre? You weren’t…” Peter trailed off, not daring to utter such an accusation at his friend.

“No, no, I wasn’t there to plan a heist. I was there to stop them.” Neal looked up from his cup of coffee, only to be met with the curious twin expressions of Peter and Elizabeth. “I was one of the security officers there. By the time Sara and I met, I already was Head of Security.”

“And like with our first meeting, a rather famous painting was involved.”

“What a surprise,” Peter deadpanned.

“I know, Peter, I know.”

For some seconds, the room fell silent, as everyone was trying to come up with anything to say. Neal was somewhat glad that both Peter and Elizabeth had listened to his explanation, though you didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to see that they still were hurting over his betrayal, which Neal could understand, absolutely. But the fact that he was here, in their living room, and given the chance to talk to them face to face, was a twist into the right direction, at least in his book.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** The End **

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End file.
